I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to modular interconnecting units for supporting devices, and, more specifically, to modular interconnecting plates used for supporting medical devices such as transducers, flush valves, stop cocks and the like.
II. Description of Prior Art
In hospital environments, for example, many procedures involve inserting one or more catheters into a patient with lengths of tubing extending therefrom. Connected to the tubing may be a variety of medical devices such as transducers, flush valves, stop cocks and the like. The tubing may become entangled, making it difficult for medical providers who need to use the devices to access them as needed. To organize the tubing and medical devices for quicker and safer access by medical personnel, and to additionally protect the devices from damage, it has been found to be beneficial to hold the devices to a mounting plate, which is in turn secured to an intravenous pole or other nearby structure. The mounting plates have a flat face with one or more receptacles formed thereon for holding the various medical devices at the ready.
While the use of mounting plates is advantageous, the number of medical devices to be supported may vary depending upon the needs of the patient. In some cases, a mounting plate having one receptacle may be all that is needed. In other cases, mounting plates capable of supporting two or more devices may be desired. Thus, the size of the plate needed may vary from patient to patient resulting in hospitals keeping several different sizes of mounting plates (i.e., with different numbers of receptacles) readily available.
One proposal to eliminate mounting plates of different sizes is a modular system of interlocking plates, each plate having its own receptacle for supporting a device, and structure to lock the plates to one another to simulate a larger plate having multiple receptacles. Such a system permits medical personnel to form any size plate necessary depending upon the medical needs of the patient. While such an interlocking system is desirable, a current modular system is considered to be clumsy in operation. For example, tubing may become tangled due to the offsetting of the plate faces as they are connected together. Similarly, the plates are difficult to separate and thus present not only inconvenience to medical providers but also could result in the tearing of a glove, for example, placing the user at risk of injury.